Despite the importance of interpersonal contact to students’ sense of community, little is known about how online students form relationships outside of class. Drawing on interviews with 20 students from one online doctoral program, I explore the ways in which distance learners create community outside of class. In the case study I explore how students use social media and group texting apps to develop relationships with peers. I also explore how online students connect in-person at study groups and sporting events. Lastly, I consider the ways in which a three-day, in-person orientation helped online students connect on and offline. Findings indicate that online students’ perceptions of community were not limited to their in-class experiences. In addition to their in-class interactions, online students were impacted by their extracurricular interactions in digital and physical spaces.

中文翻译：

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在线社区的离线性质

尽管人际交往对学生的社区意识很重要，但对于在线学生如何在课堂外形成人际关系知之甚少。我从一个在线博士课程中对20名学生进行访谈，以此来探索远程学习者如何在课堂外建立社区的方式。在案例研究中，我探讨了学生如何使用社交媒体和群组短信应用程序发展与同龄人的关系。我还将探讨在线学生如何在学习小组和体育赛事中进行面对面的联系。最后，我考虑了为期三天的面对面介绍如何帮助在线学生在线和离线进行连接。调查结果表明，在线学生对社区的看法不仅限于他们在课堂上的经历。除了课堂互动之外，